


The Tamer of Dragons

by LavenderRoseUmbreon



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, I suck at chapter endings, Immediate Attraction, Possible Slow burn, Reader takes Gym Challange, Sexual Content, Swearing, Vaginal Sex, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23535556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LavenderRoseUmbreon/pseuds/LavenderRoseUmbreon
Summary: Reader runs into Raihan on the street – literally.  Things take off from there.
Relationships: Kibana | Raihan/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

It all started when I ran into Raihan in the street – literally. I was in Hammerlocke, and had just left the shop after getting some adorable clothes for my Dragapult, Obstagoon, Cinderace, and I. Walking down to the end of the street, I turned the corner when – WHAM! I fell flat on my ass. A towering figure stood there, looking down at me.

Immediately, I started blushing like crazy and babbling. “Ah, shit, I-I’m so, so s-sorry! I didn’t see you! I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear you. Are you hurt?” I stood up, brushing myself off.  
Raihan chuckles and grins, revealing his fangs. “Naw, I’m good. You were the one that fell on the ground, I should be the one asking you that.”  
Blushing harder, I responded, “I’m okay, thanks.” Looking into those beautiful teal eyes of his, it hit me that I was talking to the most renowned gym leader in Galar, the Dragon Tamer himself – Raihan. I blushed even more and gaped, “Holy shit! You’re Raihan! Ahh, this makes it even more embarrassing!”  
“Hey, it’s all good. No problem, really. To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention myself. I was posting something I did earlier on Pokégram.” Raihan smiled, his eyes lighting up. “Looks like we make quite the couple – two oblivious idiots who collide with others in the street.” We both laughed, making the tension lessen in me.

After a few seconds of silence, I blurted, “So what were you doing earlier? You said you were posting it on your Pokégram.”  
“Just a new technique I thought of for battles. Next time I face Leon, I’m gonna use it for sure!”, Raihan said excitedly, “So what about you? What were you doing before we ran into one another?”  
“Nothing really,” I replied, “Just getting some new clothes for my Pokémon and me. They have been training so hard, I figured that I would spoil them a little. I was trying to decide what to do next when I walked around the corner.”  
“Nice! What Pokémon do you have?”, Raihan asked.  
“Dragapult, Obstagoon, and Cinderace. I’ve had my Cinderace since I was little. She was a Scorbunny when I first got her. The other two I got couple years later,” I said.  
“Have you been through the gym challenge? You don’t look familiar…”  
“I’ve thought about it in the past, but it wasn’t anything too serious. This year, though, I really am thinking about participating. I just need a recommendation…”, my voice trailed off.  
Raihan was quiet for a minute. “You look like you would do well. Tell ya what, I will give you my recommendation – on one condition. We battle first”  
My eyes got wide. “For real? Hell yes! You don’t need to ask me twice!”  
“Alright! It’ll have to be tomorrow, though, I’m booked the rest of the day. Let’s swap numbers so we can figure out a good time.”  
My heart thumped in my chest so hard. I was getting Raihan’s actual phone number! It felt like I was dreaming. I took a few deep breaths to steady my racing heart.  
“There we go! I have to go now. It was nice meeting you. See ya tomorrow!”, Raihan said, waving as he walked away.  
“Likewise! Bye.”, I called out to him. “Holy shit! He asked me to battle him. I can’t believe it. He is so much more handsome in person, too. His eyes look so vivid against that beautifully tanned skin of his.” Shaking my head slightly, I made my way to the small hotel I was staying at while at Hammerlocke.

Raihan headed toward the Hammerlocke Gym, on his way to have his Gym Trainers work on training their Pokémon for the upcoming gym challenge. The whole way there, his thought about what had just happened. The young woman he ran into was gorgeous – long, flaming red hair reached her waist and flawless porcelain skin. Bright violet eyes and full lips were set in a heart-shaped face. She was small, barely over five feet, but seemed feisty and spirited. Raihan was immediately attracted to her. He hoped he played it cool and hadn’t made a fool of himself.

Raihan was surprised that she hadn’t participated in the gym challenge. From what he had seem, she seemed like a very competent trainer. He was tempted to give her a recommendation right then and there, but then thought of the brilliant idea of swapping numbers and having a private battle the next day. This way he could see her again. Not that he wouldn’t during the gym challenge, but this way he could get to know her better. Raihan was ecstatic that he had gotten her number.

Hopefully tomorrow he would have the balls to ask her out. Raihan racked his brain to think of what to say to her. Should he give her a personal tour of Hammerlocke, including the Vault? Or something a bit more casual, like grab coffee together? Raihan would figure it out after helping his gym trainers. Battling always helped clear his mind and think more clearly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raihan and the reader have their battle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here is chapter 2. Enjoy!

My RotomPhone blared on the table next the bed. Grudgingly, I opened my eyes and shut off the alarm and turning it on vibrate. Glancing around the room, I noted that my Pokemon were sprawled all over the place – Cinderace laying diagonal across my bed, Obstagoon passed out on the couch, and Dragapult curled into a ball on the rug. Getting up and stretching, I recalled the events of the previous day.

“Damn, I have a battle with Raihan today. Never thought I’d see the day…,” I thought to myself. Making my way to the bathroom, I got ready for the day. Dressing in one of the new pieces I got yesterday, I looked in the mirror. “Looks good,” I said to myself. Right then, RotomPhone buzzed.  
‘Hey! It’s Raihan. Still up for the battle?’  
I grinned, and texted back. ‘Hell yeah. What time do you want me to be there? I don’t have much planned for today, so anytime works for me.’  
A couple minutes went by before he responded. ‘Alright. Looks like I’m free at 3. Meet me at Hammerlocke Stadium. See ya then!’  
‘Sweet! Can’t wait,’ I replied. Turning to my Pokémon, I said to them, “So we have a few hours to kill before our battle with Raihan. What do you guys want to do in the meantime?”  
They looked at each other, and Cinderace turned to me. “Cinder! Cin.”  
I smiled. “Sightseeing it is then. First, let’s grab some breakfast and coffee. I’ve heard of a couple cool places we can see. Let’s go.”

We left the hotel room and did just that. We first place went to a battle café, where we were challenged by the café master. My team easily took down the opposing Pokémon, and we won a Lava Cookie. I bought my team some treats at the café, saving the Lava Cookie for the battle in case I need it. Next, we stopped at the local salon – my hair was in dire need of a trim. Taking a walk throughout the rest of Hammerlocke, my Pokémon and I stopped at a park where they played. I smiled, watching them.

Looking at my RotomPhone, I called out to them, “Hey guys, it’s time for us to meet up with Raihan. Let’s head up to the Stadium.” We made it to the Stadium a couple minutes before 3. Walking up to the bridge, I took in the breathtaking architecture. It was fascinating to look at. The details were so intricate that they made a person feel as though they had been transported to medieval times.

Crossing the bridge, I enter the building and headed to the far end of the hallway. There, a gym worker was leaning against a wall, waiting. He saw me and straightened. “You must be (y/n). Raihan told me you would be coming. Follow me.”

The worker took me down a couple hallways when we came to the hall that lead to the field. I grew up watched gym battles fought on fields like this, but it didn’t stop me from being amazed at the size of the stadium. My eyes were wide, and my mouth gaped open slightly. I didn’t notice Raihan until we were almost at the center of the field. Looking at him, I realized that he was smiling and laughing a little.

“What are you laughing at?”, I asked.  
“Nothing really.” Raihan turned to the gym worker, “Thank you for bringing her here.” Turning back to me as the worker left, he said, “I take it this is your first time inside a stadium?”  
I nodded. “I’ve never really traveled to a stadium to see a match, I’ve only seen them on TV. I never realized how huge these stadiums were.”  
“Yeah, I remember my first time entering one. I had the same reaction when I did my gym challenge. Are you ready to battle?”, he asked grinning broadly.  
My eyes lit up. “You know it. Let’s get it started, Weather Boy!”  
Raihan’s eyebrows arched up. “Weather Boy? Hahaha! I like that. Come on, let’s get started.” Laughing, we both made our way to opposite sides of the field.

Facing each other, we locked eyes briefly and started.  
“Duraladon, come on out!”, cried Raihan, throwing an Ultra Ball.  
“Alright, c’mon Cinderace, let’s show him,” I said, grabbing Cinderace’s Great Ball from where it hung on my belt. Throwing it, Cinderace came out in a blaze of fire. “Hit Duraladon with a Pyro Ball!” The Pyro Ball hit Duraladon full force, nearly knocking it out with the one hit. Duraladon stumbled.  
“Duraladon, use Flash Cannon!” The move missed by a slim margin. Cinderace took advantage of her high speed and dodged it just in time.  
“Come on, one more hit! Use Giga Impact,” I called out. With that, Cinderace ran full speed toward Duraladon, colliding head-on with it. Raihan’s Pokémon staggered, and fainted.  
“You did a great job, Duraladon. Gigalith, you’re up next.” Raihan grinned, “Let’s see how well you do now. Gigalith, use Sandstorm!”  
The air around me started to fill with sand, making it hard to see. “Crap,” I thought, “Battling a Gigalith with my Cinderace is hard enough, but now to do it in a sandstorm???” Aloud, I said, “Cindrace, use High Jump Kick!” Cinderace spotted Gigalith through the sandstorm, and immediately went into action. jumped high up and crashed down on Gigalith. It was a significant hit, but Gigalith stood strong.  
“Gigalith, use Stone Edge.” The move hit Cinderace full force, sending her crashing to the ground. She barely picked herself up. “Gigalith, use Rock Slide.” Before Cinderace could move, she was hit. This time, she was out.  
“Cinderace, you did good. Come out, Dragapult. Use Dragon Darts!” Dragapult come out of its Great Ball and shot out with its move. It hit dead on, causing Gigalith to faint.  
Raihan grinned. “Wow, you are doing great. Okay, Sandaconda, come out!” With that, Sandaconda flew out, hissing. “Use Bulldoze.” Dragapult flew out of the way, the move missing entirely.  
I grinned. “Good! Bite, now!” Dragapult sped toward Sandaconda, mouth clamping down on it. Sandaconda hissed in pain, then used Screech to startle Dragapult. Dragapult flinched back, letting Sandaconda use Slam. “Quick, use Astonish!” I called out. The move missed.  
“Sandaconda, use Slam again!” cried Raihan. Sandaconda hit my Dragapult and KO’d her.  
“Alright, come on back. Obstagoon, it’s all on you now!” Obstagoon came out in a flash, tongue lolling to its side. “Use Night Slash.” Obstagoon rushed forward, arm swiping out in a powerful arc.  
Raihan’s Sandaconda swayed and fainted. “Flygon, you can do this! Use Bug Buzz!” Flygon took aim at Obstagoon and lashed out with Bug Buzz. The move hit hard.  
“Obstagoon, use Shadow Ball.” Obstagoon put all it had into the move and landed a critical hit on Flygon.  
“Flygon, use Dragon Claw!” Flygon sped over, slashing its claws at Obtsagoon. That was all it took – Obstagoon swayed and fell over.

My eyes went wide as the sandstorm finally died down. Closing them, I let out a sigh. Opening my eyes back up, I managed a small smile at Raihan. The look on his face told me he was amazed.  
“Well, color me impressed! You nearly got me! The only times I’ve battled like that is with Leon, and he always beats me. You are definitely getting my recommendation.” Raihan smiled broadly at me. “Come on, let’s go to my office, and I’ll write one up.”  
While we walked down several hallways, Raihan said, “Your Pokémon are pretty strong. They can only get stronger.” He glanced down at me. “So only the three Pokémon, huh? And all completely different types, too.”  
By this point, we had reached his office, and he sat down in his chair to write the recommendation. “Yeah, I’ve always loved Fire, Dark, Dragon, and Ghost types. Psychic is pretty cool, too. I just haven’t come across any Psychic types in my journeys. I really want to catch a Hatenna.”  
“I know a couple places where you can catch one,” Raihan said, still writing.  
“Really?”, I said, looking at him.  
“Of course. Let’s see, we can go to the Stony Wilderness to catch one. It has to be foggy, though, so we should go early in the morning.”  
“Sweet! … Wait, you said ‘we’. Does this mean you are going with me?”, I asked him.  
Handing me the recommendation, he said, “Sure thing! I can meet up with you at the entrance to Hammerlocke, around 7?”  
“Okay, let’s do it,” I smiled. Turning, I said, “I guess I should get going. After the battle we had, I desperately need to train my team. See ya tomorrow!”

Raihan leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. “Yes, I did it! Well, sort of. Her saying she wanted to catch a Hatenna was the perfect opportunity. I wonder if I should clear my late afternoon, too.” He thought about it for a minute. “I will. All I’m doing is helping the Gym Trainers with their techniques. They have been working hard. I’ll give them the night off.” Smiling to himself, Raihan started hummed and finishing up some paperwork.


	3. Chapter 3

Raihan's POV

Raihan woke to the sound of the alarm he had set the night before. Groaning, he sat up and turned it off. Being more of a night owl, he was not used to waking up this early. Raihan put more effort into getting ready than he usually did. When he was finally satisfied with his appearance, he walked out of his apartment whistling a popular tune.

It took him several minutes to reach Hammerlocke’s entrance. Raihan didn’t see (y/n) at all. ‘I am a little early. I don’t mind waiting,’ he thought. He didn’t have to wait long. A couple minutes later, (y/n) showed up. He smiled as she walked up to him.  
“Ready to go?”, Raihan asked.  
“You bet!”, she responded eagerly.

Reader's POV

It took the two a good forty–five minutes to make it to the Stony Wilderness. The fog was dense, perfect weather for finding a Hatenna.  
Raihan turned to me. “You have enough Poké Balls to catch a Hatenna?”  
I nodded. “I have fifty Great Balls in my pack. I went to the PokéMart and stocked up last night. It definitely won’t take that many, but I’d rather play it on the safe side and have more than enough.”  
“Good thinking. Let’s look around some.” Raihan started walking in no specific direction. I started after him. It took all I had not to jog in order to keep up with him. Soon I was starting to pant. Raihan looked at me and said, “You okay? Am I walking too fast?”  
“Yeah, a little.” He slowed his pace to match mine. “Thank you,” I said to him. Looking across the field, I spotted a Hatenna not too far away. “Hey, I’ve spotted one! Over there, by the two stone pillars leaning against one another.” My red hair flared around my hips, unaware that the action drew Raihan's attention down my body.  
Walking over, I snatched Obstagoon’s Great Ball from where it hung and threw it into the air. “Come on out, Obstagoon, we have a new partner to catch.” Obstagoon came out ready to go. “Use Night Slash.”  
Obstagoon ran over to the Hatenna and lashed out with the moved. Unable to move quick enough, the Psychic Pokémon took the hit full force. Since it was weak to Dark type moves, it was very close to fainting after the hit. Not wanting to hurt it further, I took out a Great Ball and threw it at the Hatenna.  
After a tense moment, the Great Ball glowed and stopped moving. I walked over and picked it up. “Alright, alright, alright!” Raihan whooped.  
“Awesome! I caught it on the first try! Good job Obstagoon, I really appreciate it. Back into your ball. Okay, come out Hatenna.” My new Pokémon came out of its Great Ball. Kneeling down and smiling, I said, “Hey there. I’m your new trainer, (y/n).”  
Hatenna looked up at me, uncertain for a moment. Then it jumped into my lap and cried “Hat! Hatenna!”  
“Haha! I think she likes you already,” laughed Raihan. “That’s adorable. Rotom, take a picture.” Walking up to Hatenna and I, he asked, “Are you okay with me posting this on Pokégram? If you don’t want to, I understand…”  
“Oh, go ahead. I don’t mind at all. Can you send the picture to me, too?”  
“Yeah, sure thing,” he said, my Rotom pinging a few seconds later. He started typing and uploaded his Pokégram page with the new picture.

Once he was done, I looked up at him and said, “Well, I should probably let you get going. You probably have a packed schedule for the rest of the day, being a Gym Leader and all.”  
“I–, um, I actually have a clear schedule the rest of the day,” stuttered Raihan, blushing slightly.  
I looked at him in confusion. “What?”  
“I was wondering if – if you would – um – can we spend the rest of the day together?”, Raihan said in a rush.  
Eyes wide, I could only stare at him for a minute. Breaking into a smile, I said to him, “I would love to!”  
Relaxing, Raihan let out a sigh of relief. “I was half expecting you to say no. I mean, I may be a well–known Gym Leader, but I could be a creepy pervert for all you know!”  
Throwing my head back, I laughed the hardest I had in long time. Eyes dancing, I looked up at him saying, “If you were, you would have made a move on me or said something by now. Since you haven’t, I think it’s safe to assume you aren’t. If anything, it would be the other way around, with me being the creepy pervert. You don’t know if I stalk all your social media accounts, now do you?” I raised an eyebrow at him.  
Raihan seemed slightly taken aback, my laughter and statement throwing him off guard. 'Fuck, she is going to be the death of me, I swear,' he thought. Quickly recovering, he grinned and said, “Ya got me there. I trust you don’t?”  
“Hell no. I try to be respectful of others and not pry into their lives. You don’t have to worry about me.” Thinking for a few seconds, I said, “I guess we should be heading on back to Hammerlocke then.”  
“Sounds good. How about we hit up a restaurant for breakfast? I haven’t eaten anything yet, and I am starving,” Raihan said.  
“Sure, I like that idea,” I replied. “Probably best, too. I am not exactly the best cook, so you probably wouldn’t like the curry I make.”  
Raihan laughed. “Let’s call a Taxi. It’ll be quicker. I know a great place to go. It's a small place you wouldn't notice unless you took the time to stop and look around. I got bored one day and found it not to far from my apartment.” "Awesome! I hope that they have chocolate chip pancakes. I haven't had them in a long time," I said.

A short while later, the flying taxi landed and the two of us headed toward the restaurant. Raihan and I entered the small restaurant and I looked around. Several tables were scattered around, and a worker was walking up to the counter.  
“Hi,” the worker said smiling. “What can I get started for you?”  
I looked up at the menu. “It’s gonna take me a minute. Raihan, you go ahead and order first.” By the time he placed his order, I knew what I wanted. “I’ll have the chocolate chip pancakes with a side of eggs and orange juice.”  
Raihan and I sat down as we waited for the order to be made. “So what brings you to Hammerlocke in the first place?”, Raihan asked.  
“I have always wanted to come here. Up until a couple weeks ago, I had never made it past Turffield. It’s been really nice to get out and Galar.”  
Raihan’s teal eyes opened in surprise. “Really? So you must be from Postwick or Wedgehurst?”  
I nodded. “Wedgehurst. I know Professor Magnolia, she was the one who gave me Scorbunny. I was six at the time. I caught Obstagoon when he was a Zigzagoon not too far away from her lab.”  
Raihan tilted his head slightly and asked, “How did you come across Dragapult then? They aren’t known to be in that area, and they are pretty rare in the areas that they are in.”  
“I got her as a Dreepy. My dad had to come here to Hammerlocke for work, and he was lucky enough to come across her. When he came back home, it was my ninth birthday. He gave her to me as a present.”  
“Aww that’s sweet!”, Raihan said. Right then, our order was ready, and we dove right in. “Mmm, I am so glad to be eating. It tastes so good.”  
I looked at Raihan, saying, “It does. I’m glad you brought me here.”

After finishing, we left and starting walking in no direction in particular. “So, do you have any place in mind that you want to go?”, asked Raihan.  
I thought for a minute. “Yeah, actually. The Hammerlocke vault. I’ve heard so much about it. You have access to it, right?”  
“I do. Hammerlocke Vault it is then. Come on, it’s this way.”


	4. Chapter 4

We arrived at Hammerlocke Vault. Inside, the receptionist greeted us, and I walked up to the shelf that contained several trophies. Reading the faceplates on them, I noted that the names were of previous champions who had won the Gym challenge. Leon’s trophy was separated, sitting on a table surrounded with various pictures of him in battle.

We took a couple flight of stairs up to a room that was filled with tapestries illustrating Galar’s history.  
“Wow, these are so interesting. I’ve heard about these. They are so much bigger than I imagined,” I said to Raihan. Walking closer, I admired that even the smallest detail hadn’t been left out.  
“These tapestries tell about the creation of the kingdom of Galar and the Darkest Day. They show the Heros and Legend of Galar.” Raihan said. Gesturing to the leftmost tapestry, he continued. “This shows two youths were out watching a Wishing Star. All of a sudden, disaster broke out, bewildering the youths. Storm clouds broke out, and Pokémon started to Dynamax. They go on to tell how the youths looked on as a sword and a shield stop the disaster. The last tapestry depicts the youths being crowned.” After a moment’s pause, Raihan said, “Come on, there is another area I can show you.”  
He led me to a door in the corner of the tapestry room I hadn’t noticed. Opening it, Raihan entered and held the door open for me. When I came in the room, my eyes widened. It was filled with precious artifacts – pottery, stone figurines, and rusted weapon littered shelves and walls. Walking up to one of the shelves filled with weapons, I inspected a dagger that had an old language inscribed on it. Raihan walked over, saying, “That was made not long after Galar was formed. It is written in Old Galarian text.”  
“I love this! History was a favorite subject of mine in school, and I read all I can when I have the time,” I said. Looking up at Raihan, I noticed he was staring at me intently. “Raihan, are you okay?”  
Wordlessly, Raihan cupped my face and kissed me. I immediately responded, wrapping my arms around his neck. Pulling me closer, Raihan wrapped one arm around my waist and deepened the kiss. A couple minutes later, I had to break away to catch my breath. Smiling, I laid my head against Raihan’s chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. He held me against him, stroking my hair and breathing heavily.  
“And here I thought I was the only one who felt this way,” I said, head still pressed against Raihan’s chest.  
He laughed. “Nope, the feeling is mutual. I’ve been wanting to do that since I met you.” Stepping back, he said, “We should probably get going before the receptionist starts wondering what happened to us.’

As we were walking down the stairs to the first floor, a familiar caped figure stood next to a Charizard in the reception area of the Vault.  
“Leon! What brings you here?”, Raihan asked  
The purple haired man smirked slightly, “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop in to see my rival.” Spotting me, Leon’s golden eyes widened. “Well, hello there. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Leon.”  
“Hi there! It is so nice to meet you in person. I’ve caught so many of your matches on TV. Of course, some of them were with Raihan,” I gushed. “Raihan was showing me the tapestries, and a room filled with a bunch of artifacts.”  
Leon raised an eyebrow at Raihan. “Really? Hardly anyone gets to see that room. You must have made quite the impression on Raihan to have him show you.” Running a hand through his hair, he asked, “So do you guys want to grab some coffee?”  
“Sounds great. Let’s do it,” I said.  
“Let me lead the way, Leon always gets lost,” Raihan said as he headed toward the entrance.  
“Hey! That is not always true!”, exclaimed Leon.  
“Really? Give me an example of one time you haven’t gotten lost,” Raihan challenged.  
“Um, well, there was the one time where – oh, wait, not then. How about the time when I was in Wyndon and….” Leon started blushing as he trailed off.  
“Ha! There we have it! You are directionally challenged, my friend,” Raihan said. “It’s a damn good thing Charizard is with you. She keeps you on track.” Charizard nodded in agreement as Leon pouted.

Raihan and Leon brought each other up to date on what they had been doing as we made our way to the café. I listened, taking an interest in what both did. Leon sounded like he had an extremely hectic schedule. I had no idea how the man did it. All the while, Leon’s Charizard kept a sharp eye out and made sure we weren’t disturbed.  
“So has anything interesting happen in the past week?”, questioned Leon, his eyes subtly glancing my way.  
“Well, (y/n) and I met a few days ago,” Raihan said. “We were both coming around the same corner when we quite literally ran into each other. It was worth it though. We exchanged numbers and had a battle. You should see her, Leon, she’s amazing! She nearly took my team out.”  
Leon looked astonished. “Really?” turning to me, he asked, “I haven’t seen you enter the Gym challenge. If what Raihan says is true, you really should consider it.”  
“Funny you should mention that,” I said, “Raihan gave me a recommendation right after out battle.”  
“Huh. Well, the challenge doesn’t start for a couple more months,” said Leon. “Just think, that’ll give you plenty of time to train and be able to kick Raihan’s ass the next time you two battle.”  
Raihan flashed a smile at me. “We’ll have to wait and see”  
By this time, we had reached the café. We ordered drinks and sat down at a table once we got our order. Thankfully it wasn’t busy in the café. Leon had a couple fans come up to ask for autographs, and he was more than happy to oblige.  
Once the fans left, I asked, “Is there any advice you guys can give me for the Gym challenge?”  
They both thought about it for a minute, and Raihan responded, “You have a good team right now. You could add a couple more to help with some of the Gym Leaders. For instance, Kabu has Fire types. You may want to consider getting a Water type for that fight. Or maybe have one of your current Pokémon learn a Water type move.”  
“Coming up with a strategy to battle each Gym Leader would help, too. Try watching reruns of Gym challenges from the last couple years. Those might help familiarize yourself with the Gym Leaders,” added Leon.  
I nodded. “Good ideas. Thank you.”  
Raihan turned to Leon. “Hey, remember the year at the championship when Nessa tripped and accidentally dropped a whole gallon of water on Opal?”  
Leon laughed. “I had never seen Opal mad before – it was terrifying!”  
“Yeah, I never want her mad at me. Seeing it was bad enough. Nessa was freaking out so bad about it, too,” Raihan said, “I’m pretty sure I still have photos of it on my phone somewhere.”  
I grinned. “Okay, I have to see these photos sometime. What made Nessa trip?”  
Leon turned to me. “Opal had propped her cane up against the chair she was sitting on. It was sticking out and Nessa didn’t see it as she was walking by Opal.”  
“Ugh, I can’t imagine what that would have been like,” I said, “What were the other Gym Leader’s reactions like?”  
“Everyone was pretty shocked,” Raihan said, “You could hear a pin drop in the room. Milo was the one to finally break the silence. He volunteered to get Opal a fresh set of clothes.”  
“Aw, that’s sweet – and kinda balls-y,” I responded. “I’ll make note not to spill anything on Opal or get on her bad side.”  
Leon glanced at his RotomPhone. “Looks like I gotta head out.”  
“Alright. Raihan and I will leave you to it. He was giving me a personal tour of Hammerlocke, so we can pick up where we left off,” I said.  
“Text me when you can,” Raihan said, “I want a rematch with you. It’s been a bit since we had one.”  
“Sounds like a plan,” Leon said as he got up to leave, “See you guys later!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to get as much info from the games and Wiki as I could for the tapestries and Darkest Day. If there is anything you think I should add/change, let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I jumped ahead a little to when the gym challenge starts. Enjoy!

A couple months went by, and it was almost time for the gym challenge. During that time, I caught a Rookidee, which evolved into a Corvinknight, and a Chewtle, which evolved into a Drednaw. Raihan and I got to know each other better, and we had officially started dating. Pokégram and Chatot exploded when Raihan posted that we were dating. People were gushing over the pictures that Raihan posted.

The evening before the challenge started, Raihan stopped by the apartment I had moved into. I opened the door, smiling. “Well, hi there handsome! I wasn’t expecting you tonight. Didn’t you have an interview you were supposed go to?”  
“I did. It finished early, so I wanted to stop by and see my gorgeous girlfriend,” Raihan said, stooping down to hug and kiss me on my forehead. “Are you nervous for tomorrow? Going into an empty stadium is one thing, but it’s a bit more intimidating when there is a cheering crowd.”  
“A little, but I am way more excited for it to start. You have been helping me train my team so hard. I know we can do it,” I replied confidently.  
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” Raihan said as he made his way to my couch. “The opening ceremony will take about an hour or so, depending on how much Rose drones on. From what I’ve heard, this year there are a few entrants who are closer to your age.”  
“Really? Huh, never would have guessed,” I murmured, biting my lip.  
“Yep. It’s gonna be an interesting year for sure.” Reaching over, Raihan placed his fingers under my chin and tipped my head up. Leaning down, he started kissing me.  
I complied immediately, moaning slightly as Raihan slowly ran a hand down my back. After a moment, his lips left mine and started trailing their way down my jaw to my neck. He started to bite me slightly, making great use of his sharp fangs. I moaned louder, feeling Raihan grinning against my neck.  
“Oh, you like that, huh?”, Raihan whispered huskily against my ear.  
“Mmhmm, so much,” I breathed.  
He picked up where he left off, this time kissing and biting harder. My hands clawed his back as he made his way down to my collarbone. Right then, Raihan’s phone rang.  
“Ah, for the love of Arceus”, Raihan growled, pulling away from me. Looking at his phone, he groaned. “It’s Rose. He probably wants to go over some last–minute details about tomorrow.”  
As Raihan talked to Rose on the phone, I thought about the upcoming day. I was more than prepared – my Pokémon were all fully evolved, and very well trained. Not only that, I already had practice with an actual Gym Leader and came close to beating him. How many other people could say that?  
Bringing my thoughts back to the present, I fingered my neck where Raihan had bit and kissed me. ‘I’m gonna have several hickies appearing on my neck, if they aren’t there already,’ I thought, smirking.  
“What are you smiling at?”, Raihan asked, pulling me from my thoughts.  
“Oh, nothing,” I said, “I’m just gonna have some bite marks on my neck tomorrow.”  
“Whoops, I didn’t realize I was biting that hard. Sorry,” Raihan said, giving me the most adorable Lillipup eyes.  
I laughed. “I don’t mind. It felt nice. How was the phone call?” I asked.  
Raihan groaned again. “Unfortunately, I gotta go. Rose is stopping by my gym to see if it’s ready for tomorrow.” He hugged me tightly against him.  
“Ugh. I wish you didn’t have go.” Pulling his head down, I gave him a long kiss. “I guess I’ll see you later,” I said as I broke away from him.  
“’K. See ya tomorrow.” Raihan said as he left, and I decided to get to bed early since I had a big day the next day.

Even though the opening ceremony didn’t start until one, I got up early and decided to go for a jog first thing. It helped wake me up and lessened the nerves I had. On my way back to my apartment, I picked up some food for my team and me. As my Pokémon ate, I took my time to get ready. At noon, I made my way to Hammerlock Stadium for the opening ceremony.  
‘Thank Arceus I left early, this line is so long,” I thought to myself as I walked toward the registration desk. Looking around, I took note of my potential competition. ‘Huh, Raihan heard right. There are a lot of people close to my age participating this year.’  
The wait in line didn’t take as long as I thought it would. When there were two people in front of me when I noticed someone staring at me. It was a young man close to my age. He was of medium height with had shoulder–length blue hair and large green eyes. Eyes narrowing, he started walking towards me.  
“You’re Raihan’s girlfriend, aren’t you?”, he said hostilely.  
“Yeah, I am. What’s it to you?”, I said, placing my hands on my hips. People around us were starting to stare.  
“It’s no wonder how someone like you got in, then. You just fucked the right people and got a recommendation to get in. The rest of us actually had to work hard to get here.” The people around us had varying amounts of shock on their faces as he said this.  
I smiled. “Your ass must be very jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth.” A few people chuckled.  
The young man’s face turned red. “You’re a fucking bitch.” He turned around and quickly walked away.  
“Aww, you’re so sweet. Have a nice rest of your day!” I called out after him. Turning, I noticed that the receptionist at the counter was waiting for me, eyes slightly wide. I walked up and gave him my recommendation wordlessly.  
“I can see why Raihan is dating you,” the receptionist said, “You’re a feisty little thing.”  
I laughed. “Thanks. I need to make up for my lack of size somehow.”  
The receptionist smiled. “You’re all set. You just need to change into a uniform, and then head down the hallway to the left and wait with the other competitors.”

I didn’t have to wait long for the opening ceremony to start. Before I could get a good feel for the rest of my competition, the TV in the waiting area lit up and showed Rose walking into the stadium. He started his speech, and after about fifteen minutes of taking, he called the gym leaders and Leon out. I was happy to see Raihan, and noticed several people looking in my direction. I purposefully kept my face blank. After the gym leaders made their way to the field, the other competitors and I made our debut.  
Walking up to the Gym Leaders, I noticed Raihan was looking around the group. After a moment, he spotted me and smiled. I allowed a small smile, noting several other Leaders looking my way.  
“Competitors, welcome!”, said Rose. “We are all excited to see what this year’s Gym challenge will bring us. Good luck to each and every one of you!” With that, Rose walked off with Gym Leaders. Raihan held back briefly, flashing a smile in my direction.

Back in the reception area, I let out a long breath and texted Raihan. ‘Hey, sexy. I’m back in the reception area. Will you be able to come out soon?’  
After a minute, my phone pinged. ‘Yeah, I’ll be out in a couple minutes.’  
‘’K. I’ll be waiting,’ I replied.  
Sitting down on a nearby chair, I decided to go through Pokégram while I waited. It seemed like everyone was posting about the opening ceremony that just happened. I was taken aback when I noticed there were several still shots of my face, and a couple videos of me walking out on the field. They all had comments about how me and Raihan dating, how people thought I would get special preference because the two of us were dating, and so on. Not all the comments were bad, but there were a few nasty ones.  
“Hey.” Raihan said as he threw an arm around my shoulders, and we started walking. “So you are officially a competitor in the Gym Challenge. We most likely won’t see a whole lot of each other for a bit, with you running around Galar.”  
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll manage. I can probably stop by Hammerlock between Gyms and we can have a date night or something,” I said.  
“True. Hey, let’s take a pic of this moment!”  
“Sure!” Raihan’s phone flashed, and I was momentarily blinded.  
“Hey, the other Gym Leaders and I are going to out to eat. We’re supposed to meet at the restaurant in thirty minutes. Wanna come?”, Raihan said  
“Am I allowed to come?”, I asked.  
“Yeah, a couple of the other Gym Leaders will have their partners with them, so you won’t be the only one there,” Raihan replied.  
“Alright, I will. Let’s go,” I said.

We made our way to the restaurant and found Milo, Kabu, Nessa, and Nessa’s boyfriend there already.  
Raihan grinned. “Hey guys, what’s up? This is (y/n).”  
Crossing his arms, Kabu said, “Hello, I’m Kabu. Nice to meet you.”  
Nessa gave me a dazzling smile. “Hey there. I’m Nessa, this is my boyfriend, Liam.”  
Milo smiled and waved. “Hi! I’m Milo.”  
“Nice to meet all of you. Raihan has told me about you guys. Don’t worry, good things only.”  
They laughed, and Kabu said, “Come on, we should probably get a table before the restaurant fills up. I’ll text the others and tell them to meet us inside.”  
We walked in and found some tables that would accommodate fifteen people.  
Sitting down, I asked, “Where was Piers at today? Aren’t the Gym Leaders required to participate in the opening ceremony?  
“Piers never shows up,” replied Nessa, “He has been mentioning he has wanted to retire anyway. I wonder who would take over his Gym when he does.”  
“Beats me,” Raihan said, draping his arm on the chair behind me. “He does have a younger sister. Maybe he’s waiting until she’s ready to take over.”  
“Possibly,” Milo said. “Hey, look. Bea, Allister, and Opal are coming in. I think that is Bea’s girlfriend with them.”  
“I’m pretty sure I just saw Gordie, Melony, and Melony’s husband walk past the window. Where is Leon?” Nessa said.  
Raihan sighed. “He probably got lost again. I’ll text him.”  
The rest of the Gym Leaders found our table and sat down. Everyone made their introductions and congratulated me on participating. Fifteen minutes after the Leaders arrived, Leon made it to the restaurant. He sat on Raihan’s other side, and the two started talking. Bea’s girlfriend next to me, and she turned out to be pretty cool. Her name was Katrina, but she went by Kat. She was really sweet, and I found out that she and Bea had been dating for almost a year.  
After a couple hours, everyone thought it was time to leave. The Gym Leaders traveled back to their respective gyms, and I made my way to my apartment to get to leave for the challenge in the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Raihan met me as I left my apartment complex. Walking to Hammerlocke’s entrance, he said, “Good luck, (y/n). I’m sure you’ll do great. I’ll be watching every minute.”  
“Thanks! I’ll be checking Pokégram to see what you post,” I said. Stopping in front of the door, I threw my arms around Raihan and pressed my face against his chest. “I’ll get the grass badge from Milo, and I’ll stop back here before I move on to Nessa’s Gym.”  
Raihan ran a hand threw my hair. “I can’t wait. Text me when you get there.” He stooped down to kiss me. I heard clicks and knew that people walking past were taking pictures of us. At this point in our relationship, I was used to it.  
Breaking the kiss, I stepped back. “Gotta go. The sooner I do, the sooner I can get back here. Let me call a Taxi”  
“Before you go, I have something for you.” Reaching into his pocket, Raihan pulled out a Dynamax band. “Professor Magnolia was in the area a few days ago, and I managed to get a Dynamax band for you.”  
My eyes widened. “Oh, my Arceus! It completely slipped my mind to get one! I was just so focused on training. Thank you!”  
By this time, the Taxi arrived, and I was off.

Arriving at Turffield, I stepped of the Taxi and headed toward the Pokémart to fill up with Hyper Potions and Full Heals. Walking out of the mart, I looked to my left and noticed a large field with a glyph. I went to take a picture and then sent it to Raihan.  
‘Hey, I’m here! I’m heading on into Milo’s gym, should be there in a couple minutes.’  
Walking past the doors, I made my way to the Gym worker at the end of the room. After changing into my uniform, I started the gym mission. It was pretty easy, since all I had to do was herd rolling Wooloo onto a blue goal around a few obstacles. The Gym Trainers were fairly easy to take care of.

At the end of the mission, I walked up the stairs to the stadium. The applause was deafening as I stepped out into the field. Milo and I met in the center and shook hands.  
“Since I am the first Gym, I get a lot of challengers. This is gonna be a great battle, I can tell already. I’ll have to Dynamax my Pokemon. Hope you’re ready!”  
“You bet I am!”, I said to him.  
Both of us turned and took our respective spots on the field. Milo grabbed and threw Ultra Ball, a Gossifluer appearing from it.  
Picking up Corviknight’s Great Ball and throwing it, I said, “Come on, Corviknight, let’s show him what we’re made of! Use Fly.”  
Corviknight flew high, avoiding the Magical Leaf that Gossifluer tried to use against it. Locking Gossifleur in her sights, Corviknight came swooping down, landing a critical hit and causing Gossifleur to faint.  
“You did a great job Gossifleur. Come back,” Milo said. “Okay, Eldegoss, it’s your turn! You’re about to be uprooted. Dynamax!” Eldegoss appeared in a flash of light, appearing twenty times its normal size, and let out a roar.  
“Corviknight, Dymanax time!”, I called. Within seconds, Corviknight was a massive size.  
“Eldegoss, use Max Overgrowth! This will really leave you in shock and awe.” Milo cried. The stadium filled with grass, and Corviknight took a hit.  
“Max Airstream,” I said. Corviknight let out a powerful strike, nearly KO’ing Eldegoss. The grassy terrain allowed Eldegoss to regain some health, but I wasn’t worried about that. One more move Corviknight and would take it down.  
“Again, Max Overgrowth,” said Milo.  
“Quick, Max Airstream!”, I exclaimed. Corviknight struck out before Eldegoss could, and Eldegoss fainted. Both Pokémon shrunk back to their normal size and Milo and I called our Pokémon back. The crowd was roaring with excitement, calling my name over and over again.  
Milo and I walked back to the center and shook hands again. “That must have been a fulfilling battle for you. Here, take this. It’s your very own grass badge. You’ve earned it” Milo said.  
I smiled. “Thank you.”  
“Your next challenge will be with Nessa in Hulbury. She’s a bit tougher than me, but you shouldn’t have a problem,” Milo said.

Walking back to the entrance of the Gym, my RotomPhone started buzzing. Raihan had sent me a text. ‘You did amazing! I knew you could do it.’  
I texted back, ‘Hell yeah I did! Am I good to call you right now?’  
Within seconds my phone was ringing, my screen indicating that it was Raihan. I picked up saying, “Well I didn’t expect you to respond that quick!”  
“That’s my girlfriend! Arceus, keep this up and you’ll blow through the gyms. Next thing you know we’ll be battling against each other again,” gushed Raihan.  
“You know it!”, I said. “Hey, I’m gonna get a Taxi. I should be at Hammerlocke in about an hour. See ya then!”

Landing in Hammerlocke, I beelined my way to Raihan’s apartment. Knocking on his door, I heard feet coming rapidly and the door opened. Raihan’s eyes lit up when he saw me. He picked me up and spun me around.  
“Whoa, there! Nice to see you too!”, I laughed.  
“Haha! Couldn’t help it. Come on in. I’ve made a couple drinks for us.”  
Both of us grabbed the alcohol and sat on his couch. I downed half of the drink and then snuggled up to Raihan, resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. I tilted my head up and we started making out. Raihan’s hands gradually made their way down my body, eventually cupping my ass and squeezing. I let out a sigh, my lips breaking away slightly.  
Raihan looked at me with half–closed eyes, raising an eyebrow. “Bedroom?”, he questioned. I paused, hesitating. Raihan noticed, and asked, “Is something wrong?”  
“No,” I said quickly. Blushing, I could feel my heart rate increase. I said, “I’m just not ready for that yet. I haven’t… been with anyone before. I don’t want to take our relationship slow, but I don’t want to just jump into sex. I also don’t want to accidently get pregnant part way through the Gym challenge. Are you okay with waiting until I’m done with it?”  
Raihan stared at me as I talked, taking every word I said seriously. Once I was done, he said, “No, I understand. Just let me know when I’m going too far when we make out, okay?”  
“I will,” I said. Picking up my drink, I drained the glass. “This is good. What’s in it?”, I asked.  
“Rum, whiskey, and a couple Pecha berries,” replied Raihan, “I got the recipe from a friend that lives in Unova.”  
“You’ve been to Unova?”  
“Yeah, a few years back. Leon has some family there, and he want to visit them. He invited me to go with him, his mom, and his little brother. I got to see a lot of Pokémon you don’t see here.”  
“Wow. Maybe, when I win this Gym challenge, we can go there to celebrate,” I said.  
“That is a good idea. I’ll hold you to that,” Raihan replied.  
I laughed at that, and we went back to making out.


	7. Chapter 7

A couple days later, all the contestants had challenged Milo. Almost a quarter of them washed out. I had been training my team while I waited and was happy that it was time for me to head out to Hulbury for Nessa’s gym. Approaching the seaside town, I breathed in the fresh salty breeze. Looking to my left, I noticed the gym. I kept walking, making my way toward the lighthouse. Supposedly, there were some statues next to it of Toxtricity.  
Spotting the statues, I walked toward the, and admired the lifelike quality. All around me, Wingull and Pelipper were soaring above the waves and pier. Closing my eyes, I took a minute to enjoy the serenity I felt in this place. Hammerlocke was a great city, but it could be a bit much at times. Opening my eyes, I determined that it was time for me to head to the Gym.

The Gym mission for Nessa was a little challenging. The last couple switches held me up, but after a few tries I got through. Taking a deep breath, I walked out on the field to meet Nessa.  
“Hey, long time, no see,” said Nessa, “Nice job on clearing my Gym challenge. Hope you’re ready to battle.”  
Walking out to our positions, I picked up a Great Ball and threw it. “Okay, Hatterene. We’ve been training a lot since Rai and I caught you. Let’s show the world what we can do.”  
Nessa followed suit, sending out a Goldeen. “Goldeen, use Agility.”  
“Hatterene, Power Whip,” I called out. The attack sent Goldeen flying.  
“Goldeen, Horn Attack!”  
“Dazzling Gleam, now!”, I said. Hatterene wasn’t quick enough, and Goldeen slammed against Heterene before Hatterene could attack. Hatterene recovered quickly, using Dazzling Gleam against Goldeen.  
“Water Pulse!”, cried Nessa.  
The move hit Hatterene. “Okay, use Psychic!” I told Haterene.  
Psychic caused Goldeen to faint. Nessa called the Pokémon back and brought out Arrokuda. The teeth on this Pokémon looked menacing.  
“Aqua Jet! Hit hard, Hatterene is almost down,” called Nessa.  
“Power Whip!”, I exclaimed. Arrokuda dodged the attack and knocked into Haterene, causing her to faint. “Come on out, Dragapult. Use Dragon Rush.” Dragapult landed a critical hit, and Arrokuda fainted.  
Bringing up her last Dive Ball, Nessa said, “Looks like I’m down to one last Pokémon. Flood the stadium and make it our ocean! Time to Dynamax, Drednaw!” The Pokémon came out and the ground shook under the massive size of the Dynamaxed Pokémon.  
“Dragapult, Dynamax and use Max Wyrmwind,” I said. Max Wyrmwind hit, draining half of Drednaw’s HP.  
“Use Max Geyser,” Nessa called out.  
“Once more, Max Wyrmwind,” I said. Looking across the stadium, I saw the look on Nessa’s face. She clearly wasn’t expecting me to be this good, and that the battle would be this quick.  
Dragapult’s move hit again, dropping Dreadnaw to its knees and causing it to faint.  
“That is the end of the battle!”, the announcer said over the speakers. “The challenger can now challenge the Fire Type Gym at Motostoke!”  
I jumped up and whooped. “Wohoo! We did it! Awesome job. Come on back, Dragapult.”  
“How– how can this be? Huh, I think I underestimated you. Then again, I should not expect anything less from Raihan’s girlfriend. Here, take this Water Badge – you earned it. Kabu is next. As strong as you are, he’ll definitely want to battle you.”

Leaving Nessa’s Gym, I checked Pokégram. Raihan had posted a couple stills of me in battle alongside Haterene and Dragapult. I had to admit, my team and I looked pretty badass.  
I texted Raihan. ‘Hey, babe. The pictures of my team and I look amazing! I’m gonna head to Motostoke straight away. See ya after I beat Kabu!’

Arriving at Motostoke brought back memories for me. I had stopped here frequently when I first left Wedgehurst, so I was pretty familiar with it. Walking into a Pokémon Center, I had my team healed up. While waiting for Nurse Joy, I turned my attention to the TV screen in the corner of the room. It was broadcasting the results of the last few challengers that had finished up at Nessa’s Gym earlier this morning. A few more had dropped out. To my dismay, the blue hair man who insulted me at the start of the challenge was still in.  
‘Well, shit,’ I thought. ‘I thought he would have dropped out by now. Here’s to hoping he’ll drop out between now and the championship.’  
The TV screen showed a clip of the blue haired jerk battling Nessa with a Polteageist. Then the screen switched to an interview with him.  
He was midsentence when they cut back to his interview, and he was saying, “…unlike some of the other challengers I could mention, I am not getting an easy pass because I am dating a Gym Leader. Yeah, I am going to be the next Champion by sheer skill and talent, you’ll see. Leon, watch out, I’m coming for you.”  
‘What an arrogant jackass. I hope I see you in the finals so I can destroy you,’ I thought.  
“You’re Pokémon are completely healed now!”, said Nurse Joy.  
Turning, I thanked her and headed up to Kabu’s Gym. The Gym worker seemed surprised to see a challenger ready to face Kabu already, given that others had only just finished with Nessa.

Starting to feel a rhythm setting in, I easily passed the Gym mission and found myself walking to the Stadium field to face Kabu. He looked like he was bored out of his mind as we shook hands.  
“Welcome to my Gym. Raihan told me to expect you. Now let’s see if his assessment of your skills is accurate.”  
Without missing a beat, he started the match by sending out his Nintetales.  
“You’re up Drednaw,” I said.  
“Ninetales, use Will–O–Wisp,” Kabu said. The move left Drednaw with a burn.  
“High Horsepower!” I yelled out. Ninetales flew through the air, landing on its side. ‘There we go, just like we trained,” I thought.  
Kabu’s eyes burned. “Fire spin!”  
Ninetales flared up, hitting Drednaw but causing little damage. ‘Ha, there’s type advantage for you,’ I thought.  
“One more hit, Drednaw. Liquidation!”, I yelled.  
Liquidation hit full force. Ninetales tried to get back up and failed. Kabu sent out Arcanine while I used a Full Heal on Drednaw.  
“Charge at that Drednaw with a Flame Wheel,” growled Kabu.  
“Dodge, and then use Liquidation again!”, I cried out. Drednaw did exactly that, and Arcanine was barely able to stand after the hit.  
I grinned. “Rock Tomb, now!” Arcanine moved but was too slow. Rock Tomb hit, knocking out the large Pokémon.  
Kabu’s face was in a grimace. “Light that fire and get your mind moving, Kabu! Centiskorch, come out and Dynamax!” The long, flaming insect came out with a growl.  
“Okay, Drednaw, let’s Dynamax too and hit it with High Horsepower!” Centiskorch agilely moved out of the way, the move missing it entirely. ‘Damn it,’ I thought.  
“Let your fire blaze, Centiskorch. G–Max Centiferno!”  
The raging inferno sent Drednaw stumbling back and draining her health. Drednaw stood breathing heavy, determined to finish the battle.  
“G–Max Stonesurge!”, I called to Dreadnaw.  
Drednaw’s eyes lit up and unleashed a powerful blast on Centiskorch. For a few seconds Centiskorch swayed, and fainted.  
“And there we have it!”, the announcer cried out. “The challenger has beaten Kabu.”  
“What a great Trainer, and what great Pokémon! I am usually considered the first real roadblock of the Gym Challenge. After battling, it is no surprise that you have made it this far,” Kabu said to me. “I learned from that battle. Thank you for showing me what I needed to improve on. Here is your badge.”

I was heading out of Mostostoke and sending a text to Raihan when I heard someone call my name. I turned around and was surprised to see that Milo, Nessa, and Kabu walking toward me.  
“Milo, Nessa, and Kabu!? What brings the three of you here?”, I asked, bewildered.  
“There are many trainers who never manage to gather three Gym Badges, and they just give up on the challenge altogether,” Kabu said, “I make it a point to see off any trainers who are able to defeat me.”  
Milo nodded. “You and your team are amazing. Not a lot of challengers are able to get a badge from Kabu.”  
Nessa agreed. “It’s pretty amazing that you defeated him. Congratulations.”  
“The Gym Leaders you’ll face in the upcoming Gyms are all tough,” Kabu told me. “Don’t let that discourage you, though. You’ll pull through like you did with us.”  
I smiled. “Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate it.”  
Kabu and Milo had started walking away, but Nessa held back. “I can see why Raihan is head over heels for you,” she said. “You’re a great trainer, and you’re determined to become the best you can be. I can’t imagine either of us will have a whole lot of time during this challenge, but would you like to hang out sometime?”  
My eyes widened slightly. “Yeah, sure, that would be great.”  
Nessa smiled. “Sweet. Let’s exchange numbers then. Next time both of us have a free minute, let’s go shopping or something. Hell, we could even set up a double date with our boyfriends.”  
I laughed. “Yeah, for sure. I’ll probably have the few days free while I wait for the other trainers to catch up with the challenge. I can text Raihan and see if he’s free.”  
“Sounds like a plan,” Nessa said.  
Right then, my phone went off. Looking at it, I grinned. “Speak of the devil. That’s Raihan. I guess I’ll ask him now.”

It didn’t take much persuasion. Raihan agreed enthusiastically, and the next night I found myself on a double date with Raihan, Nessa, and Nessa’s boyfriend. The date was at a famous seafood restaurant in Hulbury called the Captain’s Table.  
“Hey, Nessa, what do you recommend?” I asked.  
“Hmm, the seafood platter is pretty good,” she replied. “If you don’t want that, the Garlic Parmesan Flounder is really good too.”  
“I’ll have the flounder,” I said.  
“Remind me not to kiss you until you brush your teeth,” Raihan said wryly.  
“Oh, haha, very funny,” I said, rolling my eyes at him.  
The waitress came, took our orders, and refilled our drinks.  
“Hey, have you guys seen that one challenger with the blue hair and green eyes?”, asked Nessa’s boyfriend, Liam.  
“You mean the one who keeps trashing (y/n) in every interview he’s in?”, asked Nessa.  
“Yeah, that one,” Liam said.  
“Arceus, I want to beat the shit out of him so bad. What the hell does he have against her anyway?”, Raihan said grimacing, exposing his fangs.  
My stomach tightened. “He was being a complete jackass to me as I was going up to register. He accused me of ‘fucked the right people’ to get a recommendation. He also said that ‘the rest of us had to work hard to get here’. It took all I had not to punch him.”  
Raihan looked at me, anger evident on his face. “He said WHAT?”  
“Hey, it’s not a big deal. I handled him.” I told Raihan. “Look, our food is here.”  
“I am not going to go easy on that asshole if he makes it to my gym,” Raihan muttered as we started eating.  
The rest of our dinner, we talked about the remaining gym challengers and speculated who would reach the end.


	8. Chapter 8

Raihan was angry at the blue haired challenger that had insulted me. After calling Leon, Raihan managed to find out that the blue haired challenger was called Zephyran, and he specialized in Ghost and Poison types.  
After our double date, the two of us were heading back to Hammerlocke on a Flying Taxi. “Why didn’t you tell me about this guy?”, Raihan asked me as we soared across the landscape.  
“It just didn’t occur to me. Really, it’s no big deal,” I said, shifting in the Taxi’s seat.  
“But it is! This Zephyran is giving you a bad rap and has nothing to go on. I should have been there to fend him off,” Raihan said, crossing his arms.  
Placing my hands on his crossed arms, I said, “Rai, no, that would have made it worse. When he insulted me to my face, I gave it back to him. There were enough people to witness the whole thing. If anything, that scene just shows how awful he is. Besides, my battling three Gym leaders should prove to all of Galar that I am more than capable.”  
Raihan looked at me, face unreadable. After a moment, he let out a sigh. “Next time he says anything to you again, let me know. His behavior clearly falls under harassment and slander. That goes against League rules. I’ll report it to Rose, and Rose will do what he thinks is best.”  
I groaned, running my hands through my hair. “Please don’t. If you do, wouldn’t that help prove his point? That I am getting an easy pass because we’re dating?”  
Raihan reached over and grabbed my face with both hands, looking frustrated. “(Y/N), I am just trying to protect you. I know you’re tough and can handle shit, but I just want to protect you. Please?”  
Sighing, I agreed. “Alright. If you insist so much, I will.”  
Raihan’s eyes softened, and his lips tilted up into a smile. He leaned in and kissed me, more gently than usual. I felt his arms tighten around me, and I soon found myself sitting in his lap. Raihan broke away from me and I laid my head against his shoulder. We stayed like this the rest of the way to Hammerlocke.

After a much–needed sleep in my apartment, I left Hammerlocke and made my way to Stow–On–Side. Along the way, I decided to take some time to train my Pokémon more. After climbing up some ladders, I saw a huge Dugtrio monument and knew I was close to Stow–On–Side. I took a picture of it, sending it to Raihan and then uploading my Pokégram.   
After visiting the Poké Center, I walked towards the steps leading to the Fighting Type Gym. I suddenly stopped in my tracks. At the base of the steps was Zephyran.  
‘Shit,’ I thought. He hadn’t noticed me yet, so I meandered my way toward a small group of people who were at a bargain shop and blended in with the crowd. He didn’t notice me in the group of people. I didn’t have to wait long until Zephyran left and I could go on my way to battle Bea.

Bea’s mission challenge was difficult to maneuver, and I felt dizzy getting off the vehicle. After taking a minute to recover from the dizziness, I walked up the flight of stairs and into the roaring stadium. There were quite a few people chanting my name.  
“Welcome,” Bea said, allowing herself a small smile. “Do you have an unshakable spirit that won’t be moved, no matter what is thrown at you? Let’s test it out.” Bea sent out a Hitmontop to start out the battle.  
I sent out Corviknight, and said, “Corviknight, show your stuff. Use Fly.”  
“Hitmontop, Triple Kick,” called out Bea.  
Corviknight avoided the attack and sped toward Hitmontop, knocking it out with ease.  
“Nice try, Hitmontop. Return. Pangoro, go! Use Night Slash.” The blow was a critical hit.  
“Roost, then use Steel Wing,” I told Corviknight.  
Bea’s face held an intense look. “Pangoro, Bullet punch.”  
Corviknight blocked the blow, only taking a little damage, using Steel Wing on Pangoro.  
“Pangoro, Night Slash.”  
“Use Giga Impact!”, I called out. Both Pokémons’ moves hit at the same time, and both fainted.  
Bea sent out Sirfetch’d, and I called out Hatterene.  
“Sirfetch’d, Detect,” Bea told her Pokémon.  
“Haterene, use Psychic,” I said. The move was super effective, taking down Sirfetch’d with one hit.  
“Argh! Fine then,” Bea exclaimed. Grabbing her last Pokémon, she said, “Machamp, let’s just destroy everything! Gigantamax.”  
“You, too, Hatterene. Dynamax!”, I called.  
“Machamp, use G–Max Chi Strike!” Machamp lashed out with the move. It hit Hatterene, but Hatterene looked like it barely got hurt.  
I smiled. “Time to end this. Hatterene, use G–Max Smite!” Machamp let out a cry, and fainted.  
Eyes closed, Bea took a deep breath and then walked across the field to me.  
“Thank you for the battle,” she said. “Battling against you and your team... I hadn’t expected it, but it made my heart dance. It’s good to be unshakable in the face of battle. But it’s good to be moved by battle, as well. Thank you again. Take the Fighting Badge.”

Bea met me at the entrance of the stadium as I was walking out.  
“Hey,” she said to me.  
“Hi, what’s up?”, I said.  
“I just wanted to congratulate you again, you did great. That’s not all, though. I’ve heard about the guy who’s been chewing you out and watched his interviews. What he said about you isn’t true at all. I want you to know that I’m with you, no matter what he says.”  
My eyes widened in surprise. “Thank you.”  
“Hey, anytime,” Bea said. “Nessa and I are friends, and she told me to knock him senseless if he tried to rough you up.”  
I laughed. “I would love to see his ass get handed to him.”  
Bea smiled slightly. “Would you like me to show you some self–defense techniques sometime? They might come in handy in case he does get more confrontational. I doubt that he would, though. Getting into a fight would result in him being disqualified from the challenge.”  
“Hell, yeah. That would be awesome!”, I said excitedly.  
After exchanged numbers, I headed to Glenwood Tangle and made my way to Ballonlea.  
Glenwood Tangle had an eerie, ethereal quality to it. It felt like I had stepped into an enchanted forest. Giant, glowing mushrooms and tall trees surrounded the pathways. Looking closely, I noticed Impodimp hiding behind them. After several battles with wild Pokémon and trainers, I made it to Ballonlea. The place looked like it came straight from a fairy tale. The Fairy Gym was on the far side of where I came in and was surrounded by mushrooms of all different colors.

The reception area was normal, but once I got to the Gym mission I was surprised to see a stage. Opal was there, and she explained that I had to face off different trainers on the stage while being asked questions. It was fairly straightforward. I got the first question right, but the last two wrong.  
Once I was finished with that, it was time for me to face off with Opal. She was waiting for me in the center of the stadium.  
“I suppose it’s a bit late to introduce myself… I’m Opal, the Gym Leader. The last part of the mission is me. Let me have a look at how you and your partner Pokémon behave!”  
She sent out a Galarian Weezing.  
‘Huh, this is the first time I’ve seen a Galarian Weezing up close,’ I thought, sending out Cinderace.  
Opal moved first. “Use Sludge.”  
Sludge hit Cinderace, poisoning it. ‘Crap,’ I thought. “Cinderace, Pyro Ball, and follow up with a High Jump Kick.” Cinderace did both moves in rapid succession, panting afterward and suffering the effect of the poison.  
“Question! Do you know my nickname?”  
I grinned. “The wizard.”  
Opal lifted her chin and smiled slightly. “Congratulations, you are correct. Weezing, Tackle.”  
Cinderace managed to avoid the hit. “Giga Impact, quick.”, I called out. Unfortunately, Cinderace missed.  
“Wheezing, Tackle again!”  
I clenched my fists. “High Jump Kick.” This time Cinderace hit the mark. Weezing fainted. As Opal grabbed her next Pokémon, I used a Full Heal and Super Potion on Cinderace.  
Opal threw an Ultra Ball. “Togekiss, come out. Use Draining Kiss.”  
“Cinderace, Pyro Ball!”, I called out.  
“Question! What is my favorite color?”, Opal asked.  
The question stumped me for a second. “Purple,” I said.  
“Again, correct,” Opal said. “Togekiss, Air Slash!”  
It was a critical hit, and Cinderace fainted. Grabbing Drednaw’s Great Ball, I tossed it, saying, “Drednaw, use High Horsepower.” Drednaw growled, hitting Togekiss with the move and knocking it out.  
“Alright, Mawile. Come out and use Crunch.”  
The move did little damage to Drednaw. “Again, High Horsepower.” Mawile was sent flying but recovered.  
“Last question! How old am I?”  
“Why, you don’t look a day over sixteen.”  
Opal smiled broadly. “Mawile, Astonish.” The move caused Drednaw to flinch. “Now Draining Kiss.”  
“Drednaw, you can do this. Use Liquidation.” Mawile wobbled, and then fainted.  
Opal grabbed her last Pokémon. “Prepare yourself. Alcremie, Dynamax and use G–Max Finale!”  
“Drednaw, same to you. Dynamax and use Max Quake!”  
Drednaw’s move hit first, causing massive damage. Alcremie’s move hit a second later, making Drednaw stumble.  
“Once more! Hit Alcremie with Max Quake!”, I yelled out. Before Opal could call out a move, Drednaw attacked. Alcremie fainted.  
Opal seemed taken aback for a split second, then smiled at me. “Your pink is still lacking, but you’re an excellent Trainer with some excellent Pokémon.” Slowly walking toward me, she pulled a Fairy Badge from a pocket. “Here is a Fairy Badge, my dear. Keep up the good work.”

After leaving through the front doors of the Fairy Gym, I checked Pokégram. There were a few things that had been posted recently, mostly by other Gym challengers. It looked like most of them had just made it to Stow–On–Side.  
‘Looks like I’m able to kill some time while I wait for the others to catch up,” I thought. ‘My team could use a bit of training. I’m gonna head to the Wild Area outside of Hammerlock. Maybe once we’re done training, we can stop by and see Raihan before heading to Circhester.’ Calling a Taxi, I headed to the Giant’s Cap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got Zephyran’s name from the scientific name for rain lilies, which are also known as zephyr lilies. They are a poisonous plant known for causing vomiting, upset stomach, or fatality, as well as other side effects. I thought it was kinda fitting with him being a Poison and Ghost trainer.  
> This is the site I where I found it:  
> https://gardenerdy.com/poisonous-flowers


	9. Chapter 9

After a couple days of battling in the Giant’s Cap, my team had leveled up nicely. It was late afternoon, and my Pokémon were taking a much–needed break. Whipping up some spicy curry, they devoured every last bit.   
“Okay, guys, let’s head on up to Hammerlocke and see Raihan,” I said. My Pokémon eagerly agreed to this. They adored Raihan and loved when we went to see him.  
Hiking up to the hills to Hammerlocke, I texted Raihan, ‘Hey! I’ve finished up training and I’m heading up to Hammerlocke. Should be there soon.’  
Seconds later, I got a reply back. It was a heart–eyed emoji, followed by a gif of a dancing Flygon. He sent a text saying, ‘Alright! See ya soon!’

When I reached Hammerlocke, I went straight to my apartment and got cleaned up. I was a complete mess and was in desperate need for a shower. Once I was done I half–ran, half–walked to Raihan’s apartment. As I raised my hand to knock, I could smell food. My stomach gurgled, reminding me that I didn’t eat when I fed my Pokémon earlier.  
At the sound of my knocking, Raihan flew to the door and opened it, grinning broadly. Grabbing me, he picked me up and gave me the biggest Bewear hug I’ve had in a while.  
I laughed, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “I wouldn’t mind if you did that every time I came to see you.”  
Raihan laughed and kissed me on the forehead. “Come on, dinner is almost ready,” he said, setting me down.  
Looking around the kitchen, I noticed that Raihan was making my favorite food. Smiling up at him, I said, “Rai, you are a really great boyfriend. Thank you for making all this. I know your busy getting ready for challengers and all,” I said.  
“Hey, no problem,” Raihan said, “My Gym is practically ready for Challengers when they come, and the Gym Trainers are getting antsy to battle.”  
He set a plate down in front of me, heaping with food. I dove into it.  
“Why didn’t you tell me you were an amazing cook?”, I said.  
Raihan shrugged. “Dragon Pokémon can be a bit picky when it comes to food. My Flygon, especially.” Switching topics, he said, “Circhester is your next stop, and you’ll be facing Gordie. Not gonna lie, he’s really good. His specialty is Rock, but your Drednaw should take care of him no problem.”  
“What about Corviknight? Aren’t Steel Types good against Rock?”, I asked.  
“Good point, they are. Using those two should help out tremendously.”  
We spent the rest of the night talking about the upcoming match against Gordie.

Getting to Circhester took a lot out of me and my team. It was a relief when I spotted the Pokémon Center. After healing my Pokémon, I restocked my supply of Full Heals and Hyper Potions. I headed to the Hero’s Bath, snapped a picture, and uploaded it to Pokégram. The steam from the Bath felt nice compared to the frigid air.  
Heading up the stairs to the left, I beelined it to the Rock Gym. For this Gym Mission, I took my time so I wouldn’t fall through the hidden holes in the floor. Surprisingly, I managed to get to the other side without falling.  
At the center of the stadium, Gordie and I met. “Hey, the name’s Gordie. Nice that we officially get to meet. I admit I feel a little bad for doing this to a Gym Challenger, but I’m gonna use this match to show that my Pokémon are unbeatable.”  
“We’ll see about that,” I said, smiling confidently.  
Gordie sent out a Barbaracle, and I shuddered slightly. Barbaracle always creeped me out.  
“Drednaw, get ready,” I said.  
As soon as I sent Drednaw out, Gordie said, “Barbaracle, use Shell Smash!”  
“Drednaw, Liquidation!” The move was super effective, and since Shell Smash had lowered Barbaracle’s defense, Liquidation hit harder than usual.  
Barbaracle fainted. “Shuckle, let’s do it! Use Power Split, and then Rock Tomb.” The shelled Pokémon came out and attacked.  
“Drednaw, High Horsepower, and follow it with Liquidation!”, I called out. The double assault of attacks knocked out Shuckle. ‘Ha, those training days are really paying off,’ I thought.  
Gordie scowled. “This isn’t how I pictured it would go. Stonjourner, help me turn this around! Use Body Slam.”  
Smirking, I said, “Let’s try Liquidation again.” Before Stonjourner could move, Drednaw’s move rushed forward. Stonjourner was barely standing.  
“Come on! Try Body Slam one more time!”, cried Gordie. Drednaw turned and was hit in the side by the giant stone Pokémon.  
“Rock Tomb,” I said. Rock Tomb hit, and Stonjourner fainted.  
“Not yet! We can still battle,” cried Gordie. “Coalossal, Dynamax and show your true power.”  
“Drednaw, you did a good job. I’m calling you back,” I said. “Corviknight, come out and Dynamax.”  
“Use Max Volcalith”  
“Use Max Steelspike.”  
Gordie and I called out the Max moves at the same time. Thanks to Corviknight’s high speed, Corviknight struck first. Coalossal’s move hit seconds later.  
“Once more, Max Steelspike,” I called to Corviknight.  
It was a critical hit. Coalossal fainted, leaving Gordie with a shocked expression on his face.  
“Wow, that was impressive. Here, take this Rock Badge,” Gordie said. “Spikemuth is up next. Be careful while you’re there.”  
“Thanks, I will,” I said. We shook hands and left the stadium.

The next Gym I needed to head to was in Spikemuth. I had heard mixed reports about the place, and I was a bit apprehensive to go. Walking up to the hill to Spikemuth, I stopped in my tracks. Ten feet from me was Zephyran. He turned toward me and our eyes locked.  
‘Well, shit,’ I thought.  
“So you managed to make it to this shithole,” Zephyran sneered. “Imagine that. I never suspected a worthless bitch like you to make it this far.”  
Anger boiled up in me. It took all I had not to punch him in his smirking face. Instead, I managed a smile and said, “Yep. I guess you haven’t been catching the previous battles I have had with preceding Gym Leaders. Half the time I took down their Pokémon with one hit.”  
“Tch, I love when people exaggerate,” he said.  
My eyebrows raised up. “Would you like a demonstration?”  
Zephyran scowled. “Fine. Let’s make it quick, though. Let’s do a two–on–two battle.”  
“Sounds good to me,” I said, “Obstagoon, come on out.”  
Zephyran called out a Gengar. The Ghost/Poison Pokémon eyed my Obstagoon, sizing up the competition.  
“Gengar, Hypnosis,” Zephyran snarled.  
“Avoid it and use Night Slash,” I called.  
Obstagoon barely managed to avoid Hypnosis and lashed out at Gengar. Gengar took the full brunt of Night Slash, staggering on its feet.  
“Quick, use Shadow Ball,” I commanded.  
“Poison Jab, now!” yelled Zephyran.  
Poison Jab hit Obstagoon, poisoning her in the process. Obstagoon didn’t slow down and aimed Shadow Ball directly into Gengar’s face. Ganger made no effort to stop from fainting.  
“Lucky… shot,” Zephyran said through gritted teeth. “Weezing, go.” I was surprised to see that the Galarian Weezing was a shiny form.  
“Good job, Obstagoon. Hatterene, let’s go.” When Hatterene appeared, Zephyran paled noticeably.  
“Hit Weezing with Psychic,” I said.  
“Use Protect, and then use Sludge Bomb.”  
Weezing avoided Hatterene’s move and sent Sludge Bomb flying towards Hatterene.  
“Use Psychic again, quick!”, I said. This time Weezing was hit. Before Weezing could recover, I said, “Dazzling Gleam!”  
Weezing fainted, and Zephyran called it back. Zephyran’s face was beet red, and his hands were shaking in fury. Without saying a word, he walked off toward Spikemuth.  
‘He has some serious issues,’ I thought, shaking my head. Hatterene returned to her Great Ball, and we continued on to Spikemuth.

Spikemuth was severely run down. The streets were barely lit up with lights, and garbage littered the streets and alleyways. I cautiously approached the PokéCenter and healed up my Pokémon. There were a couple Team Yell members standing in the corner of the PokéCenter, talking about Piers’ new album that had just come out.  
The Gym Mission proved to be the easiest out of all the ones I had done. It was nothing more than battling Team Yell grunts, and the whole time I could hear what sounded like a concert going on.  
When I got close to the end of town, the music got louder. I passed through a gate and found that I was right. There was a concert going on, and there was a crowd of Team Yell members cheering. The person on stage had long black–and–white hair, pretty cyan–colored eyes, and a pallid complexion.  
Approaching the edge of the crowd, the singer looked up and noticed me making my way over.  
He stopped the concert and said, “So yer finally here, huh? … I’m not really a good Gym Leader. Figured that’s why no one was comin’.” Walking toward me, he continued. “This is a simple Gym Stadium. We can’t Dynamax here, but well… I still hope you enjoy the battle. You could say that we have more of an authentic style of battles. I’m the Spikemuth Gym Leader, Piers, the Dark–Type user! It’s time to rock.” He tossed a Dusk Ball and a Scrafty appeared.  
“Cinderace, come on out!”, I called.  
“Let’s do it Scrafty! Intimidate the opponent. Use Fake Out.” Cinderace flinched. “Now Sand Attack.” Cinderace took the hit in the face and tried to wipe the sand away.  
“Cinderace, Pyro Ball!”, I said. The move hit hard, and Scrafty fainted.  
“’Kay, Malamar, your turn,” Piers said. “Psycho Cut.”  
“Dodge it!”, I cried. Cinderace moved just in time. I grinned. “Good! Now High Jump Kick!”  
“Malamar, Psycho Cut again!” The move missed again, and Piers grimaced.  
“Cinderace, Giga Impact.” Malamar was hit, and fainted. “That’s it, Cinderace!”, I said.  
“Obstagoon, your turn.” The black and white Pokémon came out roaring. “Counter.”  
Cinderace was hit and struggled to stand. “Pyro Ball again!” Obstagoon was hit and received a burn.  
“Let’s finish this. Use Throat Chomp,” called Piers.  
Cinderace struggled to move in time but failed. Cinderace fell to the ground, fainted.  
“You did great. Obstagoon, come out. Use Pin Missile.”  
In the blink of an eye, my Obstagoon appeared on the field and shot out with Pin Missile. The move hit rapidly multiple times. Piers’ Obstagoon didn’t stand a chance, and it fainted.  
“Down to my last one. Skuntank, go.” Piers took his last Dusk Ball and tossed it. “Hit that Obstagoon with Toxic.”  
Obstagoon was hit and was poisoned. “Try Pin Missile again,” I called out.  
The move was super effective, nearly knocking out Skuntank. “Hang in there, Skuntank. Use Sucker Punch.” Sucker Punch didn’t have much of an effect on Obstagoon.  
“Okay, once more, Pin Missile!”, I called out. Skuntank fainted.  
The Team Yell members, who had been cheering Piers on the whole battle, went quiet, stunned that their Gym Leader had been beaten.  
Piers sank down to his knees and tilted his head back. “Me an’ my team gave it our best.” He sighed. Standing, he walked over to me. “I guess ya deserve this. ‘Ere, take the Dark Badge.”  
“Alright! Thank you!”, I said.  
“Next up is Raihan,” drawled Piers, smirking slightly. “Can’t wait to see that match. It’ll be interesting fur sure.”  
My face flushed. “Yeah, it will be.”  
“I know Raihan’ll give you a fair fight,” Piers said. “‘e won’t go easy on you just cause you’re his girlfriend. Him and Leon ‘ave been friends fur years, but Raihan gives it his all when they battle.”  
“Yeah, let’s hope everyone else thinks like that,” I said cynically.  
“Ay, screw what everyone else thinks. Most of ‘em ain’t competing, anyway,” Piers said. “C’mon, I’ll show ya the way out.”  
“Wait, don’t you have other Challengers who are waiting to battle with you?”, I asked.  
Piers looked around his ‘stadium’ before looking at me. “I dunno, doesn’t look too lively around ‘ere to me,” he said, raising an eyebrow. He started walking toward the entrance of Spikemuth.  
I blushed. “Ha, good point. I can’t imagine you get too many challengers this late in the game.”  
Piers smiled slightly. “No, not really. This late in the challenge a lot of them drop out. Can’t say I really mind. Gives me more time to work on my music.” He stopped in front of the gate we were now at.  
“Thanks for walking me here,” I said.  
“No problem,” Piers said, shrugging, “Most people are a little scared to walk through Spikemuth. It rough lookin’ town, but it isn’t.” He sighed, closing his eyes. “I guess I better go back and wait for more challengers. Yer my first one, which means more are comin’. I guess I’ll be seein’ you later.” Without another word, Pier’s walked off.  
‘Hmm, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to train a little more,’ I thought to myself, ‘I’ve faced Raihan before, and am a little familiar with how he battles. My team needs to work on battling in different weather conditions. Back to the Wild Area again!’ With that, I took off in a Flying Taxi to the Wild Area.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next installment! It is relatively short compared to the rest, but I think y'all will like it.

I spent a few days wandering the Wild Area, having my Pokémon train in all kinds of weather. They also trained in double–battling. I checked Pokégram and a few other social media sites to keep updated on what was going on while training. By the time I felt ready to challenge Raihan, most of the remaining challengers had beaten Piers and were headed to Hammerlocke.  
Passing through the Hammerlocke gates, I couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about facing my boyfriend. I knew it was irrational to feel that way. I took a few deep breaths helped to steady my nerves slightly.  
I decided to send Raihan a text. ‘Hey, I’m heading up to your Gym. Hope you’re ready to have your ass kicked!’  
Raihan was waiting for me at the Vault where his Gym Challenge takes place. He smiled at me as I walked in, and then explained to me what his Challenge consisted of.  
“Just battle these three in double–battles? No problem!”, I said to Raihan. “Let’s get started.”

Raihan’s Gym Challenge didn’t take long at all. It took me almost an hour to beat the three Gym Trainers.  
Once I had beaten the last trainer, Raihan whistled. “Wow, I knew you and your Pokémon were training your asses off, but I didn’t expect you to have gotten this good! I guess it’s time for the two of us to battle. Meet me in the stadium once you get your team all healed up.”  
I walked over and hugged him. “You just wait until we battle. I have a plan.”  
Half an hour later, I found myself on the field in Raihan’s stadium, with Raihan standing across from me.  
Raihan grinned, exposing his fangs. “Well, at long last we are battling each other in an actual Gym Battle. I guess I shouldn’t have expected any less from you, though.”  
I raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you stalling?”  
Raihan’s eyes widened, and he smirked. “Maybe a little. Alright, let’s get this started, shall we?” Throwing two Ultra Balls, Raihan said, “Gigalith and Flygon, come on out!” Raihan’s RotomPhone took several pictures of Raihan as he sent his Pokémon out.  
“Alright, c’mon Dragapult and Drednaw, let’s show him,” I said, grabbing their Great Balls.  
Gigalith’s ability, Sandstorm, picked up as soon as it entered the field. The air around the field kicked up with sand, making it hard to see. “Gigalith, use Stealth Rock. Flygon, use Thunder Punch on Drednaw!”, said Raihan. Flygon’s move hit shortly after. Drednaw managed to withstand it.  
“Drednaw, hit Gigalith with Liquidation! Dragapult, use Dragon Darts on Flygon!” Both moves hit the intended Pokémon, causing critical damage to both.  
“Gigalith, use Rock Blast on Dragapult. Flygon, use Thunder Punch on Drednaw again!” Drednaw managed to move out of the way of Flygon’s Thunder Punch. Dragapult wasn’t so lucky, and Rock Blast slammed into her.  
“Nice try, Raihan, but it’s gonna take a lot more then that to take my team down,” I called out to him. “One more time! Drednaw, hit Gigalith with another Liquidation, and Dragapult, use Dragon Rush on Flygon!” Gigalith tried to avoid Drednaw’s move but was met with another hit. Gigalith lay sprawled on the ground. Flygon wasn’t far behind it. Dragapult flew full speed toward Flygon, colliding head-on with it. Flygon struggled to get up, couldn’t.  
Raihan looked surprised. “Hmm, I didn’t expect those two to be out of the game this early. You two did great job. Sandaconda and Duraladon, you two are up next.” Sandaconda hissed as it came out. Duraladon roared. Raihan grinned. “Let’s see how the rest of the battle turns out!”  
I called Dragapult back and sent out Cinderace in its place. “Cindrace, you’re up!”  
“Bring the storm! Duraladon will send everyone flying! Let’s Dynamax!”  
I grinned. “Cinderace, follow suit! Dynamax!”  
Both Pokémon were now gigantic. I had to remember Sandaconda was still in and not focus entirely on Duraladon.  
“Cinderace, G–Max Fireball on Duraladon. Drednaw, use Ice Beam on Sandaconda!  
“Duraladon, use G–Max Depletion! Sandaconda, use Slam on that Drednaw!” cried Raihan. He leaned back and let out a roar.  
‘And that’s my boyfriend,’ I thought, smiling. ‘So calm and composed until he’s in a battle, and then he lets loose. I wonder…”. Shaking my head slightly, I thought, ‘Whoa, keep your head in the game, don’t let your thoughts wonder. Focus!’  
Duraladon’s and Cinderace’s moves shot out. Duraladon’s hit first, barely causing anything to happen to Cinderace. Cinderace’s move, however, came bearing down on Duraladon. The giant Pokémon roared, and fell over, fainted.  
“Alright! That’s my Cinderace!”, I cried.  
Sandaconda and Drednaw were no less impressive. Drednaw’s Ice Beam narrowly missed, and Sandaconda rammed straight into Drednaw. Drednaw stumbled but recovered.  
“One more time, Drednaw, Ice Beam! Cinderace, help out and use G–Max Fireball.” Both moves hit at the same time. Sandaconda didn’t stand a chance and came crashing down on the ground.  
“Well, I’ll be damned…”, muttered Raihan. Walking toward me, Raihan held his arms wide and said, “What an intense battle. You have definitely improved since we first battled. Huh, calling myself Leon’s rival? Seems I’ve grown quite conceited for someone who can’t even claim the title of Champion! Here, take this Dragon Badge – you’ve earned it.”  
My eyes lit up. “I never thought I’d see this day. It doesn’t seem real.”  
“It’ll hit you once you leave. I knew you were training hard, but wow, that was impressive.”  
Right then, the audience started chanting something. It took me a few seconds to realize that they were chanting “Kiss her, kiss her”.  
Face turning red, I looked up at Raihan. He raised an eyebrow, and I nodded. Leaning down, Raihan kissed me. I stood on my toes and wrapped my arms around his neck. The crowd went wild, and Raihan’s RotomPhone flew around taking pictures. After what seemed like an eternity, we broke apart and waved to the crowd. We held hands as we strode out of the stadium.


	11. Chapter 11

Right after my battle with Raihan, we had several reporters flock around us to ask questions. Having never done an interview, even during the Gym Challenge, I was a little tongue–tied. Thankfully, Raihan was there to help guide me through.  
One reporter shoved her way to the front of the crowd. “Excuse me, miss, what is it like dating the most popular Gym Leader in all of Galar?”  
“Uh, well, it –,” I stuttered, “It sure is difficult getting our schedules down and being able to see each other throughout the challenge.”  
Another reporter called, “Do you think that your relationship will be strained now that you have beaten Raihan?”  
“What? Of course not!”, I replied.  
Raihan put his arm around me protectively and smiled. “No chance of that happening, we are very happy together. And I couldn’t be more thrilled that my girlfriend is going to face Leon in the next couple weeks in the Championship. I have no doubt she’ll make it through the semifinals and finals.”  
A third reporter stepped up. “Do you think that you’ll be facing your rival, Zephyran, in the semifinals and finals?”  
“Maybe,” I responded. “He’ll have to make it past Raihan first.”  
The first reporter spoke up again. “Zephyran was interviewed shortly after his battle at Piers’ Gym. He was reported saying that you two had a Pokémon battle before taking on the Dark Type Gym. Can you tell me about that?”  
Raihan’s head whipped around. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but I knew he was boiling inside.  
“Um, no comment,” I said quickly.  
“Okay, that’s enough, people. You’ve asked your questions. We’re through here,” Raihan stated, grabbing my hand and practically dragged me away.  
Once we were out of earshot, Raihan growled, “Why didn’t you tell me?” He looked over at me, his teal eyes blazing.  
I sighed. “I didn’t really get the chance. I was gonna tell you after our match today, but those reporters got in the way. I had no idea that Zephyran was interviewed after Piers’ Gym. You didn’t see it?”  
“No, and I didn’t hear anything about it until now,” Raihan said shortly. “It was just a battle, right? He didn’t threaten you or try to hurt you?”  
I shook my head. “No, I would have told you right away if he had.”  
Raihan relaxed. “Alright. Let’s get going.”

Two weeks passed, and all remaining challengers were ready for the semifinals. This included me… and Zephyran. Raihan gave it his best shot, and nearly took him down, but Zephyran came out victorious. When they shook hands, I could see Zephyran spasm in pain. ‘Haha,’ I thought. ‘Nice, Raihan. Try not to crush his hand too much.’  
I ended up facing him in the semifinals. Zephyran was the last opponent I had to face before moving on to the finals.  
“Well, we meet again,” I said dryly to Zehpyran when we faced one another on the field.  
Zephyran scowled. “Let’s just get this over with.”  
The battle was a short one. In addition to his Gengar and Weezing, the rest of his team consisted of Polteageist, Toxtricity, and Drapion. My Pokémon decimated his team out with few moves. Animosity just poured off him. Once his final Pokémon fainted, Zephyran immediately walked off the field without saying a word. 

The finals took place the next day. I faced off against Nessa, Bea, and Raihan, beating each Gym Leader easily. Now I was up against Leon. His hair and cape swung back and forth as he walked out to the center of the field. He met me in the middle, his gold eyes determined.  
“We meet again, under different circumstances,” Leon said. “It takes a lot of hard work and determination to get to me. Not a lot of challengers make it to this point. Are you ready?”  
“Hell, yeah I am. Let’s do this!”, I said excitedly.  
When we got in our places, Leon patted his face, threw his cape off, and sent out his Aegislash.  
I sent out Cinderace.  
“Aegislash, Sacred Sword,” Leon said.  
“Use Taunt, then Pyro Ball,” I called out.  
Aegislash struck first, making Cinderace stumble slightly. That didn’t stop Cinderace, taunting Aegislash and causing it to try to attack again. Aegislash missed, and Cinderace used Pyro Ball. The Fire Type move was super effective against the part Steel Type Pokémon, and Cinderace managed to cause a critical hit too. Aegislash fainted.  
“Huh, good use of type advantage,” Leon said to me. “Dragapult, come on out.”  
“Good work, Cinderace. Hatterene, come out.”  
“Dragapult, hit with a Shadow Ball,” Leon said.  
“Quick, use Dazzling Gleam,” I cried.  
Hatterene managed to strike first, doing a lot of damage to Dragapult and making its move miss.  
“Once more! Dazzling Gleam!”  
“Dragapult, use Flamethrower.”  
Both moves hit at the same time. Hattterene took the hit but stood strong. Dragapult shuddered and fainted.  
Leon smiled. “You are an amazing trainer. C’mon Haxorus!” The large Dragon Pokémon roared when it appeared on the field.  
“Dragapult, your turn,” I said. “Use Dragon Darts.”  
“Haxorus, Iron Tail.”  
Dragon Darts hit Haxorus directly in its face, making the Pokémon stumble and fall over. Talking advantage of it, I had Dragapult use the move again. Haxorus was attempting to stand when the move hit the second time. It didn’t bother getting back up.  
Leon threw an Ultra Ball, saying, “Mr. Rime, go!”  
“Dragapult, come back. Cinderace, you’re up again. Use Pyro Ball,” I said.  
“Mr. Rime, Psychic.”  
Cinderace was hit, but the move didn’t faze her. Cinderace unleashed a powerful Pyro Ball on Mr. Rime, and brought Mr. Rime down with the one hit.  
Leon grabbed one of the last two Ultra Balls from his belt. “This is the most intense battle I’ve had in a while. Alright, Inteleon, let’s take out that Cinderace.”  
I laughed slightly. “Cinderace, I’m calling you back. Hatterene, go.”  
Leon let out an amused laugh. “Inteleon, Tearful Look.” The move caused Hatterene to have lowered Attack and Special Attack.  
I grinned. “Hatterene, lash out with a Power Whip.” Even with lowered stats, the move was powerful against Inteleon.  
“Inteleon, use Dark Pulse,” Leon said.  
“Once more, Power Whip,” I cried out.  
Inteleon’s Dark Pulse hit Hatterene. She nearly fainted but managed to pull through and use Power Whip. When Haterene used the move, Inteleon fainted.  
Leon called back Inteleon and took a deep breath. “Alright, Charizard, you’re my last hope.”  
I called Haterene back and sent out Drednaw, saying, “Let’s finish this, Drednaw.”  
“I’ll show you what Charizard can do. It’s Gigantamax time!”  
“Gigantamax, Drednaw,” I called out.  
Both Pokémon were enormous in a matter of seconds.  
“Charizard, use Max Rockfall,” Leon called out.  
“Use Max Stonesurge,” I said.  
Drednaw’s move hit a millisecond before Charizard’s did. Both Pokémon fell to their knees. Drednaw barely managed to stand back up, but Charizard fainted. The crowd sat in stunned silence for a long minute, then let out cheers with enthusiasm I had never seen from them.  
When Drednaw took down Leon’s Charizard, Leon called Charizard back and pulled his snapback down to cover his face. For a second I thought I could see him grimace, but Leon immediately smiled and threw his snapback in the air.  
“My time as Champion is over. Congratulations, you’ve beaten the unbeatable Champion. You have come a long way, and you are now Galar’s Champion.” Turning to face the crowd, Leon continued, “Here you have it! A legend is born right before your eyes.” Leon looked over at me and said, “Let’s go. You’ve had a long day. You and your team are probably exhausted. I know it’s not easy having four battles in one day.”  
With the crowd still going wild and cheering, we made our way to the locker rooms of the stadium.


	12. Chapter 12

The following couple weeks after being made Champion, I had several interviews and press conferences. Sometimes I was interviewed by myself, and other times I was interviewed alongside Leon. Several businesses contacted me, wanting to sponsor me. I also met Chairman Rose. He wanted to set up a time where we could meet so we could go over my responsibilities would be as Champion. I couldn’t wait for it to finally to be over.  
I barely got to talk to Raihan, and I felt so guilty about it. I let him know that, and he promised that we would have time once the “having a new Champion” thing blew over.  
“This will be over before you know it. We’ll be together in no time, you’ll see,” Raihan said to me one day when I actually had a minute to spare.  
“It can’t get here quick enough,” I grumbled.  
Raihan laughed. “C’mon, your next interview is starting soon. Go on.”

Once the craziness was finally over, I got a couple days in a row where I didn’t have anything scheduled. I could finally breathe. The first day I had off, I decided to sleep in. Arceus knows the next time I would have the opportunity!  
I was sleeping peacefully when my RotomPhone went off. Checking the screen, it was Raihan. I picked up immediately.  
“Hey, what’s up, Rai?”, I said groggily.  
“Sounds like someone just woke up,” chuckled Raihan.  
“Yeah, I finally got to sleep in for a change. I have today and tomorrow off,” I said.  
“Really? Then I’m glad I made those reservations for us tonight at a pretty upscale restaurant in Wyndon. And when I say upscale, I mean the kind of place where you wear nice clothes to.”  
Something in his voice made me stop. “How did you know I would have today off?”  
“I know that your interviews are finally over, so I talked Rose into letting you have this time off before you officially start your responsibilities as Champion.” Raihan said.  
My jaw dropped. “Raihan, you are amazing.”  
“I try,” Raihan said smugly. “I want to spend the day with you before our dinner reservation, so I’ll swing your place to pick you up. See ya soon.”  
I checked my phone after he hung up. It was a little after ten in the morning, which was late for me, since I was normally an early riser. I jumped out of bed and got ready in record time. Somehow, I managed to make myself presentable and find a really nice outfit in my closet before Raihan arrived. Thirty minutes later, he was knocking on my door.  
Opening it, I flung myself into his arms. He caught me and held on tight. My Pokémon were crowding the door behind me, wanting to get a little of Raihan’s attention.  
“Where are you going to take me today?”’ I asked, my head still pressed against Raihan’s chest.  
“You didn’t get much of a chance to see Wyndon when you did the Gym Challenge. Since I booked our dinner there, let’s fly over there in a Taxi and spend time there.”  
I considered his suggestion for a minute. “Yeah, I like the sound of that.” Stepping back, I looked at Raihan fully. “Wow, you clean up nice.” Raihan wasn’t wearing his usual attire. Instead he was wearing dress pants and a nice long–sleeved shirt.  
“Okay, enough ogling. Let’s go,” Raihan said grinning.

We arrived to Wyndon thirty minutes later, landing in next to the fountain at the entrance. As we got out, Raihan grabbed my hand and said, “This way. There is a small park near here.”  
“Oh, yeah, I remember running by it when I was heading up to the Stadium,” I said. “I didn’t want to stop to look at it, since I was excited to be facing Leon in a battle. Thanks for taking me to see it!”  
We got to the park shortly, and took our time walking through it.  
Looking at me, Raihan said, “Hey, do remember you said you wanted to go to Unova when this whole Gym Challenge was done?”  
“Yeah, I remember. It was right after I beat Milo’s Gym.”  
“Still want to go?”, Raihan asked, raising an eyebrow.  
My eyes went wide and I nodded my head rapidly. “Yes, please! I would love to!”, I said excitedly.  
Raihan laughed. “Sweet. When we figure out a good time, we can go. I can get us some tickets at a fairly reasonable price.” Raihan was silent for a few seconds. “That’s not all I wanted to ask you,” Raihan said.  
“What is it?”, I asked, tilting my head to the side.  
Raihan brought us to a bench with trees on both sides and we both sat down. Putting his arm around me, he turned to look at me.  
“Earlier in that conversation, you said you wanted to wait until after the Challenge to sleep with me. Since it’s over, are you ready for that?”  
I smiled wide. “I’m glad you brought it up. I have been thinking about it the last couple weeks, and I am ready.”  
Raihan smiled at me. “After dinner tonight, back at my place?”  
I nodded. “Do you mind if I stop at my apartment first? I want to spend the whole night with you, and I need to get a few things if I’m going to do that.”  
“Of course,” Raihan said. “If I remember right, it’ll be your first time going at it?”  
Blushing and feeling uncomfortable, I said, “Yeah, it will be.”  
Raihan reached over and cupped my face, saying softly, “Hey, it’s okay, no need to feel nervous. I’ll go slow.” He leaned in and kissed me gently on my lips. My hands went around his shoulders, pulling him closer.  
We stayed like this for a few minutes, until we broke away to catch our breath.  
“Ready to see the rest of the park?”, Raihan asked.  
“Yeah,” I said. “Maybe we could get a coffee at the Battle Café, and then go see the Galar Hurricane.”  
“You sure love your coffee, don’t you?”, Raihan said, shaking his head.  
“It’s like a drug for me,” I replied.

The rest of the day went by quickly. The Galar Hurricane was huge and gave us an amazing view of Wyndon when we were at the top. Raihan took me to a museum that had a large collection of old artifacts and fossils from other regions. There were a few other points of interest Raihan showed me before we went to the restaurant.  
The restaurant was overwhelmingly ornate. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling looked like they were made from diamonds. Tables were covered in white tablecloths. Silverware and glasses were placed in front of chairs at the tables, and each table had either a blue or white glass candle holder sitting in the center. The walls were covered in bloodred wallpaper, and the ceilings were cream colored. Against one of the walls stood a large case with an assortment of wine bottles.  
The maître d’ greeted Raihan and I when we walked into the restaurant. We were led to a small booth that was in a more secluded area of the restaurant.  
Once we were seated, a waiter came up. “What can I get you to drink tonight?”, he asked.  
“Bring us two glasses of semi–sweet red wine, please,” said Raihan.  
When the waiter walked away, I said, “Wow, Raihan… I’ve never been to a place like this. It’s so nice!”  
“I’m glad you like it,” Raihan said.  
Looking at the menu, my mouth started watering. “It all sounds so good. What do you recommend?”, I asked  
“The Filet Steak is pretty good, and so are the Herdwich lamb cutlets,” replied Raihan. “I’ll probably have the Filet Steak myself.”  
“I’ll have the lamb. I haven’t had lamb in a long time,” I said.  
The waiter came back with our wine and took our orders. It took a good forty–five minutes for it to come out, but it was worth the wait. The food was seasoned and cooked just right.  
Before I knew it, Raihan and I were done. Raihan paid the bill, and we left to go back to Hammerlocke using a Flying Taxi.

We reached Hammerlocke and stopped by my apartment so I could grab clothes and other necessities before heading to Raihan’s. My heart was starting to beat slightly faster as we entered Raihan’s apartment. I was both excited and nervous. Raihan led me to his room, and I set my stuff down in a corner. I turned around and noticed the bed. It was huge! It was longer than other beds by at least a foot, and wider too.  
“Holy shit, you have a huge bed,” I blurted.  
Raihan laughed slightly. “I had to have it specially made. On normal beds, my feet hang off the edge. I hate staying at hotels for that reason.”  
“Ugh, that must suck,” I said.  
“It does.” Raihan was looking at me carefully. “Ready?”  
I nodded and smiled. “Sure am.” I walked up to him, put my hands on his chest, and looked up at him. Sometimes it hit me how much taller he was compared to me. Now was one of those times. Raihan’s gaze held mine for a long minute, then he brought his hands up to my waist and leaned down to kiss me.  
After a few seconds, I broke away. Reaching for the hem of my shirt, I took it off in one swift motion. Raihan’s eyes traveled from my face downward, stopping briefly at my chest. I reached out and started unbuttoning his shirt. My hands were shaking slightly. While I was doing that, Raihan’s hands were trailing my back, the sensation making me shudder. I got to the last button. The shirt hung loosely on Raihan’s shoulders and he shrugged it off.  
My mouth opened slightly as I got to see his glorious torso. Raihan had an amazing body. His chest and abs were very well defined, and his tanned skin was almost completely flawless. There was a three–inch scar just above his pants. My hands reached out and lightly touched him, starting at his pecs and slowly making my way down to his abs. Raihan groaned slightly. Placing his fingers under my chin, he lifted my face and kissed me again. He picked me up and carried me to his bed, setting me down gently. Raihan leaned over me, kissing me along my jawline to my ear. He stopped to stand and take off his pants. I propped myself up on an elbow and could see an impressive bulge pressing against his underwear.  
Raihan noticed where my gaze was. “Like what you see?”, he purred, raising an eyebrow.  
I laughed. “Hell yeah. Damn, you’re gorgeous,” I said, my eyes sweeping over his tall frame.  
Raihan gave me a lop–sided grin. “I could say the same about you.” Raihan crawled onto the bed next to me, kissing me again, his hands traveling all over my body.  
I pushed him onto his back, kneeling next to him. Raihan stared up at me expectantly. I slipped out of my pants and straddled Raihan’s waist. I placed my hands on his chest and leaned down to kiss him. I made my way down to his neck, gently biting and kissing it, moaning occasionally. All the while Raihan was groping my ass and lightly grinding against me. Going further down, my hands ran over his muscles. I sat up a little so I could look at his amazing body again.  
Raihan took advantage of the opportunity and flipped me over on my back, hovering over me. He attacked my lips again, pressing his body over mine. I moaned, my arms going around his neck, and my legs wrapping around his waist.  
Raihan broke away. “How are you?”, he asked.  
“Good. Really good,” I breathed. I hardly recognized my own voice.  
Between kisses, Raihan said, “Let me know if there is anything you want me to do, or to stop doing.”  
“I will,” I murmured.  
Raihan focused on my neck, biting and kissing the way I liked. I moaned louder, pressing myself against him more. Suddenly, Raihan sat back. He pulled my up on his lap. I could feel his erection through his underwear against my thighs. His arms came around to where my bra hooked, and he gave me a questioning look. I nodded, closing my eyes. He took it off and whipped it across the room. For a moment nothing happened. I slowly opened my eyes and saw that Raihan was practically drooling at the sight of my now exposed breasts. I grabbed his hands and brought them up to hover over my chest. He didn’t hesitate – his large hands took hold of my breasts and squeezed. I tilted my head back, moaning.  
“Shit,” I sighed.  
Raihan glanced up, taking one hand off my chest and putting it on my lower back.  
“So fucking beautiful,” he whispered before pulling me forward and kissed me on my lips. I rocked against him, causing him to groan loudly. He pulled back. “Fuck, that felt good,” he said, his voice getting deeper and starting to come out as a growl.  
I purposefully rocked against him once more, making him groan again. He pushed me onto my back again. Raihan went straight for my breasts again, kissing and groping then with more fury than he had previously.  
“Shit, Rai,” I moaned. I was starting to heat up between my legs. I swallowed hard, my hands clutching the sheets and my legs trapping Raihan between them. I had no idea what I was doing. I was feeling so many different things, physically and emotionally. My body was moving purely on instinct.  
Raihan seemed to have had enough with my chest and moved down to my abdomen. He hooked a finger around the top of my underwear, looking at me again.  
I nodded. “Go ahead,” I said breathlessly.  
Lifting my hips, Raihan tore it off and flung it across the room. I fought the urge to clamp my legs shut. Raihan started kissing my knee, slowly making his way to where my thighs met. His hand caressed my other leg.  
After what seemed like an eternity, he started to give me the attention I desperately needed. With one finger, he circled my sensitive center. Raihan looked at me before inserting his finger. My eyes squeezed shut and I let out a moan. He stayed like that for a few seconds before pumping his finger slowly in and out. My hips seemed to be responding instinctively, and my head rolled on the pillow. At this point, I was a moaning mess.  
He sat up suddenly. I started to complain, but then saw that he was removing his last bit of clothing. He reached over to the nightstand next to his bed and grabbed a condom. Removing it from the wrapper, he pulled it over his impressive length. I noticed a bottle right as Raihan grabbed it. It turned out to be lube.  
“Wait,” I said quickly, before Raihan could pour any out. “Can – Can I?”, I asked, gesturing to the bottle.  
Raihan smiled and handed it to me. I poured out a generous amount. Tentatively, I reached out and grabbed Raihan’s member. My hands were shaking slightly again, but this time from anticipation. Raihan threw his head back, a groan ripping out of his throat.  
When he was sufficiently lubed up, Raihan grabbed my mouth with his. I ended up on my back again, with him hovering over me. Raihan lined himself up with me and gave me one final questioning look.  
I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him closer. “Yes,” I whispered.  
Raihan made one single thrust into me. My back arched, and involuntarily I clawed Raihan’s back. My eyes squeezed shut. There was a small amount of pain – I was expecting worse. Raihan held his position, letting me get used to the feeling. When I relaxed, he slowly started thrusting.  
“Raihan,” I breathed. “Oh, Arceus, yes.” I opened my eyes and looked up at Raihan, smiling at him. “A little faster.”  
The corners of Raihan’s mouth perked up a little, and he picked up the pace. Waves of pleasure washed over me. He kept a steady rhythm for a minute before I felt a change. His thrusting became a bit more erratic. Not much longer, he cried out. I wasn’t far behind.  
Raihan rolled over on his back. We were both breathing hard, and it was several minutes before either of us spoke.  
Raihan turned his head and looked at me, teal eyes full of concerned. “How are you?”  
I laughed. “Shit, Rai. I’m good. Really good. That was… amazing. I’m at a loss for words.”  
Raihan broke out into a large grin. He propped himself onto his elbow and kissed me gently. “I was about to lose control a couple times. It took all I had to reel it back in. I didn’t want to hurt you, with it being your first time and all.”  
I reached up and kissed him for a long minute. “You are the sweetest.”  
Raihan took a shaky breath. “You drive me crazy sometimes. It’s all I can do not to pin you down and have my way with you. You sure you’re not in pain?”  
“Not at all,” I reassured him. “It hurt a little when you entered into me, but it was only for a few seconds. I was expecting the pain to be a lot worse, but it wasn’t.”  
Relieved, Raihan laid back down. I noticed his eyes were fluttering shut. He was going to fall asleep soon. I rolled over and laid my head against his chest. His arm wrapped around me, holding me against him. Seconds later, I could hear him softly snoring. Smiling to myself, I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The museum is based on a mix of the British Museum and the Natural History Museum, and the restaurant is based on the Savoy Grill in London. I've never been to London, so I had to use online pictures for the descriptions.


End file.
